The Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria has written to the Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr., requesting that the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, be denied a visa or any form of entry into the United States.
In a letter dated May 23, 2025, and signed by the Convener, Barr. Sambari Benjamin, the forum explained that Kyari is a person of interest in ongoing investigations into grand corruption, abuse of office, misappropriation of funds, and terrorism financing in Nigeria.
The forum outlined the allegations against the former NNPCL executive, highlighting concerns regarding over $4 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. It noted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced N80 billion to the bank account of one of Kyari’s key associates, who is also the Managing Director of one of the subsidiaries under his oversight.
Additionally, the forum stated that the EFCC has declared Kyari, along with 13 others, wanted in connection with its investigation into abuse of office and misappropriation of funds during his tenure.
While Kyari has claimed he is willing to come forward and clear his name, he has yet to do so and remains in hiding.
The letter read, “The Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria is constrained to approach Your Excellency in a matter that Nigerians have decided to be of great concern, with the potential to have existential consequences for citizens if not urgently and appropriately addressed. The issue in question is regarding a person of interest, Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, who is the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), who is central to ongoing investigations into grand corruption, abuse of office, misappropriation of funds and terrorism financing in Nigeria.
“President Bola Tinubu, last month, fired Mr. Kyari from his role at the NNPCL following a series of corruption indictments that sprang up around him as the CEO of the organisation. These allegations included unanswered questions in respect of the over $4 billion that was meant for the repairs of the country’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. A likely indication of what happened to the funds emerged after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) traced N80 billion to the bank account of one of Mr. Kyari’s key allies and a Managing Director of one of the subsidiaries that answered to him. The EFCC has declared Mr. Kyari, alongside 13 others, wanted in connection with its investigation into abuse of office and misappropriation of funds during his tenure. _(See attachments)_
“Although he has claimed a readiness to come forward and clear his name, Mr. Kyari has remained in hiding, which means his claim of innocence is a smokescreen to allow him to remain in hiding and perfect his evasion of justice. We have credible information that he is shopping for a third country to the United States is his preferred destination as he plans to exploit the high respect for human rights in your country as a bulwark against being returned to Nigeria to stand trial.
“Permit us to contextualise Mr. Kyari’s crime against Nigeria, Nigerians, and humanity to aid in the evaluation that would lead to a decision to deny him entry into the United States. In the more than five years that Mr. Kyari was in charge, he systematically torpedoed the Nigerian economy by engaging in subversive acts that included a refusal to remit revenue due to the country. The World Bank, in its Nigeria Development Update report for 2024 confirmed that Kyari’s leadership of NNPCL only remitted N500 billion to the Federation Account, despite savings from the removal of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) subsidy. The report further confirmed that Mr. Kyari doled out another N500 billion to his cronies and associates under the guise of settling debt arrears. This criminal behaviour implied that Mr. Kyari led a posse that cornered the entire savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy. The government was left without adequate funds to provide the social safety net that would have mitigated the hardship resulting from this laudable reform.
“A consequence of this development is that more Nigerians are pushed into becoming economic refugees, with many irregularly migrating to the US to escape the harsh economic conditions precipitated by Kyari’s kind of corruption. We are conscious of the cost implications to the US Government for managing such irregular migration.
“Furthermore, we have cause to believe that a large chunk of the money missing from the NNPCL under Mr. Kyari’s watch went into financing terrorism. In some instances, these funds were passed through religious based organisations as charitable donations but eventually ended up in the hands of terrorists, which Mr. Kyari was fully aware of.
“Your Excellency, we further invite you to note that Mr. Kyari willfully violated United States imposed sanctions on Russia. Through his associates, he facilitated the procurement of Russian-sourced crude above the stipulated thresholds which was then refined in Malta and shipped to Nigeria. This was another incentive for sabotaging the repairs of Nigerian refineries.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Kyari is also exploring the option of abusing US President Donald Trump’s proposed “gold card” citizenship programme, which he would taint with a $5 million payment as a route to American citizenship. This will undermine the integrity of the programme and we will not want to see Mr. Kyari further malign Nigeria by making the entire country appear corrupt.
“We are thus ware that Mr. Kyari, in his desperation to evade justice, will attempt seeking refuge in the United States as refugees fleeing a supposed persecution or as a high-net-worth investor. This would be injustice to Nigerians who are enduring hardship or dying from terrorists’ attacks, situations promoted by Mr. Kyari’s activities and massive corruption.
“We consequently appeal, through Your Excellency, to the United States to deny Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari entry into your jurisdiction until such a time as investigation into his tenure is completed and he is given a clean bill of health. This will enable the United States to maintain its stature as a shining example of accountable actions.”
